Paranoid or Almost Robbed at a Train Station in Sri Lanka?!

Let’s be real, I’m going to tell you a story and you’re going to decide where I’m a wimp who isn’t down for “the next adventure” or some dude who realized he had made many newbie travel mistakes and jumped out of a tuk tuk just before CERTAIN DISASTER!? The setting of today’s story is a long way away from Little Corn Island but takes place on another little island which dwarfs this place called Sri Lanka in the beautiful Indian Ocean…

It had been an interesting few weeks of mental expansion and straight up relaxation in various parts of Sri Lanka and a beaten down but never beaten “Sir iyashinoshigoto” was taking yet another train aka bacteria bin on a binge that could be considered a “sh!t hole” in the most endearing of senses. The usual random couple from somewhere wearing a tiley hat was in front of me and I began taking photos of everything I saw with reckless abandon, usually senseless shacks lining the railway lines.

These two kids and by kids I mean teenagers probably 16-18 stand near a door where I’m getting down to business. We both get off at the same stop and go to change trains. Sure enough these hipsters are again near me and small talk conversation ensue. They ask me where I’m going and they reply that coincidentally, so are they. Hooray, new friends! Something wasn’t quite right and my mind as ingesting it in a strange way so that when it got to my gut, just didn’t sit right.

I put my camera away, somehow I’m probably holding my laptop, then my iphone. Whatever it was like one of those weird places like a total newb you just go through everything you have, in public. I love making friends while traveling, but usually other travelers who have what appears to be a similar agenda and we team up like groups of prey do in the Serengeti, safety in numbers and whoever you have the most in common with / can relate most with is whatever you’re a part of, sorta. Anyways…

We hit another station, change. Get kinda a weird vibe from the two teenagers as though they shouldn’t be trusted and at this point we embark to our final destination. When we get there they are kinda waiting for me and typically I’d say “peace out” but I didn’t and ended up agreeing to split a cab. Decide that I have a fool proof plan of sorts to ensure my safety…

If this is a scam, they need a tuk tuk driver. Random “Joe the Driver” won’t just join such criminals on a whim, they need a driver. I know it sounds horrible but these kids were well dressed, as though in a manner they had lots of expendable cash or were crooked criminals. Ask them how much and they reply, they’ll pay – more alarm bells go off. Back to the driver, yes?

As we approach I get distracted by an incessant nagging to have a cigarette which my new friend provides. In my mind say “need to make sure we get a random tuk tuk” but I get distracted and about 1 minute into our journey away realize this one sorta cut the line, we didn’t wait long enough and they seemed to have a good rapport with him, they now have a driver…

As we pull away from the place, I’m sitting in the middle with the 2 gents on my sides and the driver in the middle. We take a turn off the main road onto this gravel road and I start freaking aka losing it. I say where are we going and he gave a great answer which gave me my opportunity to demand they stop. He said “we’re taking a detour to visit a friend which confirmed my we aren’t going to the hotel suspicion.

Yell to the driver “Pull this ride over, immediately!” and they wouldn’t stop, eventually they did. I got all my stuff and myself out, they gave me a menacing glare and drove off. I walked about 5 minutes until arriving at the road we turned off off and hailed another tuk tuk. Told him where I was going and immediately we began driving in the completely opposite direction and arrived there within 5 minutes…

Makes you think? Am I being paranoid or did I just avoid getting jacked, robbed or looted? Regardless, this is a scenario in how you can easily get robbed and it happens all the time. When traveling solo and especially in transit, you have to watch your back and harden up because for the time being, you’re a mule with all the valuables that act as a necessity to your existence in the strange land you travel…

I have to agree with Phil on this one. Maybe paranoid. I’m pretty certain that even if you ended up somewhere dodgy you could have taken on a couple of 16-18 year old well-dressed Sri Lankan hipsters AND gotten a free tuk tuk out of it.

Please do that column, Phil. I promise I would be your most dedicated reader!

Simular experience in colombo .. got out of bellagio casino found one tuk tuk near by .. told him to drive us to silk club he said ok 300 rs i said ok .. we were 2 … opposite of belagio .. one car 4 people in it .. tuk tuk driver was sitting with them prior talking to us … then we got in he went to the car and said something to us like they know the club you will go together etc etc didnt hear him well .. i said no no stop then take us to colombo 8 .. he said wait i will stop here my friends will go to massage bla bla ( driving in some small street ) then he stopped car was behind us .. he got out before that switched the tuk tuk off .. i told my friend lets run .. but we waited he came back started again and went to oneain road .. started talking some bull shit again i told him stop right now in middle of turning left .. he said no no .. then i put my foot on the
road and he had to stop got out .. gave him 200 rs .. got another tuk tuk immediatly with running 🙂 this was happening at 2:15 am .. not sure what to think but i think we saved our asses

Yep i tought the same sorry for my english and maybe bad writting this happend before 2h and 30 min and im still shocked i was looking for. simular experiences and i found yours so i just want to warn everybody to be carefull at night when using tuk tuk